Can I bring gossamer razor on plane cabin ?

Guess they must of have made some recent changes.    I’ll just put my bag in check in – duffel bag to protect buckles and straps  – crazy haaaa

I fly about 100,000 miles a year.  I go through TSA a lot.  Every rule is subject to the supervisor there at the checkpoint so you’re always taking a chance of having something confiscated.  With that in mind, a few factors and best practices to consider:

The more presentable and white you are, the most likely you are to get waved through with some questionable item.  Shouldn’t be true, but it is.  Less true at TSA than at courthouse or hospital security, though, IME, so don’t rely on that.

They miss lots of stuff.  Less and less as the machine learning gets better, but handguns get through sometimes.  My batting average with a Victorinox Classic is about 3/4 of the time it goes through and 1/4 it’s noticed and seized.  So every few years, I replace my stock with a dozen TSA-seized ones for $5 each off of eBay.  Borderline stuff (like a metal nail file) goes through more easily when it’s next to a bunch of pens and car keys in my carry-on.

Rules are different at different airports.  Some places, you have to separate your food items, others you don’t.  Some TSA-Pre is full Pre, and other places, you still have remove shoes, etc.  The big stuff remains the same: no liquid containers over 3 ounces (even if it has less than 3 ounces in it – it has to be empty), no blades (that they notice), no really pointy stuff (that they notice).  No turbo lighters (if they notice).  No fuel odor on anything (if they check).  Etc.

Pro-tip #1A: travel with a self-addressed, stamped, padded envelope.  If they throw a fit about something, you can always exit security and mail it to yourself.

Pro-tip #1B: you wouldn’t think there are SO many places to hide stuff at an airport, but there are.  Even inside the airport, I know people who have a favorite spot for their pocket knife to live for the duration of their trip.  If you have a little more time, 3 inches down, 1 foot north, of the third bush outside of baggage claim always works.

Pro-tip #2: be pro-active on the above: just mail it to your destination.  Any hotel or AirBnB will accept “Guest John Smith, staying April 1-3; Hilton Hotel, 123 Main Street”.

Pro-tip #3: I’ve found BPLers to very helpful in making arrangements for gear that couldn’t be carried on.  As I have been, when BPLers mailed me something in advance, or I’ve lent them bear spray or bought them fuel in advance.  Sometimes I meet them and other times, I’ve left it in a plastic bag, under leaf litter, at the base of the Moose Crossing sign just past Milepost 120 on the drive to Denali.  I’ve also been able to pre-position fuel in the Aleutian Islands and have bush pilots do resupplies for Hig and Erin when they’re dragging their kids along on some 800-mile-long expedition.

I’ve had TSA Pre demand I take out a tablet and explaining that that’s not the rule is pointless.

As David mentioned, the rules about what you do and don’t have to do for the screening process are completely different in every country, and somewhat different even among different airports within the U.S.   I’ve had people in one airport get upset that I was splitting my stuff between too many trays;  and in another airport get equally upset that I was putting too much stuff in one tray;  upset that I didn’t put a piece of luggage on a tray;  and upset that I did.  But if you’re not sure and you ask, the response is always in a tone like “of course you have to take off you shoes, you idiot”, as though this is the way things have always been done everywhere since the beginning of time, and anyone over the age of three should know by now.    Is it a condition of being in the TSA that you yourself never fly anywhere and have no experience of screening anywhere outside your own airport?

>” Is it a condition of being in the TSA that you yourself never fly”?

Pay people slightly over minimum wage and yes, it means they’ve never flown anywhere, themselves.  It’s such a good idea, I’ve brought stone-age Amazonian natives in to do the wiring and plumbing in my house.

Air travel has become something you have to endure.  I’m a contractor at another DHS agency and have a background check on the level of a Secret clearance every 5 years. I have TSA Pre.  And yet I’m treated like a suspect.

My wife is a government employee with a DHS agency and multiple times has been “randomly” selected for extra scrutiny at the airport.

Usually hiking poles/tent stakes are not allowed on planes. I send them ahead of time to the hotel I am going to stay at to start my backpacking trip. However, when I am returning from my backpacking trip, I like to see what they do – that is I like to test the agents to see how they will react, how knowledgeable they are etc and at least from Portland to Austin, I was able to take my backpack as carry on with the poles (reduced in size of course)/tent stakes in it. It really depends on the agents at the security – how knowledgeable they are. If they did not allow me, then I would have checked in the poles and the stakes.

I have also taken hiking poles from Austin to California without any issues – this was when I was not aware hiking poles were not allowed.

I have taken small scissors for trimming beard etc on the plane as carry on. I don’t think this attracts any attention.

Try flying to u.s. from middle east….

Every carryon is hand searched at gate

Every person is hand patted down….again

No liquids allowed….even bought behind security area.

I had….straightened paper clip conviscated. Used for releasing sim slot on phone. Bunch of paperclips in my backpack……wiman held up straightened pointy one…said…”Not allowed”

Air travel has become something you have to endure.  I’m a contractor at another DHS agency and have a background check on the level of a Secret clearance every 5 years. I have TSA Pre.  And yet I’m treated like a suspect.

You’re a pretty shady looking character!

You’re a pretty shady looking character!

This is true.  But I have to be honest. I only look shady for the free TSA prostate exam.